I was hoping I would have some great news to announce by the time I shared this post. I didn't have bad news to share either, I was just expecting a little bit more NEW news. I interviewed for a new job that would have been a promotion fresh off of my vacation from the Bahamas. The timing was perfect quite honestly. June was a very busy month for me work-wise, so a 4th of July vacation to unwind and a promotion would have been the perfect way to start the new fiscal year. I was offered the position but I ultimately turned it down because of various reasons that didn't quite match my overall needs. I weighed the pros and cons and made my decision to stay in my current position until I found something that was a much better fit for me.

Moving right along.... this vacation was a special one. It was a week of self-discovery, self-appreciation, and a little bit of selfishness (jam-packed with island tunes, great food and the ocean). This time last year, I was an emotional wreck and I had been for the next few months. I will spare you all the details but much of last year around this time I was lost and trying to make sense of my personal life. So this fourth of July holiday was a celebration of me in a sense. I experienced a lot of growth and I learned a lot of about myself this past year. I owe a lot of that to my experiences traveling, writing, having in depth conversations with friends, new and old, and good ol' time.

Currently, I feel like I climbed the tallest mountain and jumped off said mountain, paragliding around in the sky (difficult and terrifying at first, but ultimately liberating). The irony of that metaphor is that I took a trip to Colombia and did exactly that (talk about foreshadowing). I'll share a blog post about that very soon since I didn't have a blog at that time. See, growth! This year I feel new and improved, more creative, a little bit wiser, and thankful for the lessons learned.

Although I had experienced a bit of a rough patch in my life, it's nice to take a moment to look back to where I was a year ago and compare that to where I am now. What changes have I made this year? What have I learned about myself? About others? What goals have I made and met? While I ask myself these questions, I can gauge how much I've evolved and changed and as I get older, I become more self-aware than ever before (that growth man). Being an adult is kinda cool sometimes. Still trying to figure how to not pay bills. Wish me luck ya'll.

I love a well-rounded vacation. Don't you? One that has a mix of cultural/adventurous experiences, a beachy vibe and the nightlife. This vacation was exactly that and I loved it. I found a flight to Nassau, Bahamas roundtrip for $487 without the help of IFTTT (an app that sends email alerts of flight deals) AND bought the ticket on a Tuesday, so I guess it is true that flights are cheaper on Tuesdays. I monitored the flight for about a week and the fluctuation had me rethinking this vacation altogether, but alas, I booked the flight at this price. I was able to book a focus group the night before departure that paid $150 so the extra spending money was nice. If you haven't seen my blog post on making extra dough, you can check it here.

The neighborhood of our Airbnb. Shirt by @traveleatslay

Because I wanted more of a local experience for part of the trip, I booked an airbnb the first few nights by using a gift card from a sweepstakes I previously won (pure luck, but you can check my blog post on that here). The remaining days were spent at the British Colonial Hilton Resort. A few of the activities included a couple of nights out with the locals. Apparently me and a friend wandered into legitimate local territory and ended up at the Xscape Lounge. We were the only tourists in the entire establishment. The bartender stated he'd never seen tourists at the lounge so does this mean we get cool points or nah? I had arguably the best rum cocktails and fried chicken wings in a long time. Bartender was showing out! He was totally like, "tell your USA friends about me." Naturally... I'm like, "Okaaay!"

I cannot forget to mention our drivers Miss Simone and Ondel. Simone gave us the run-down on the ins and out of Nassau and was very impressed with our solo outing to the lounge. She was so sweet and introduced us to cocoplums after our initial airport pick-up. Ondel was our after-hours driver and he gifted us a bottle of rum. I took my last shot of the night/morning and attempted to make a music video in a hammock. It was trash, but if you want to witness the travesty yourself, you can watch it in my Nassau Highlights on Instagram. All I ask is that you don't judge me. Anyway, meeting good people on vacation makes the experience that much more memorable.

A beach day on Rose Island with Sandy Toes was about a 4 hour excursion. It included transportation to and from the island, snorkeling and lunch. They had pigs on this island too, but they were not the infamous swimming pigs of Exuma. Speaking of, the Exuma excursion (swimming pigs and nurse sharks) was my intention when I arrived to the Bahamas, however the pricing was doubled because it included the transportation to and from Nassau. I am in the business of being as frugal as possible and thought about the possibility of freaking out about the experience with the nurse sharks. I read about this happening many times and didn't think on this particular vacation it would really be worth it. I can always return and stay in Exuma and do all those things on my next visit. With that being said, I was more than satisfied with my vacation.

Rose Island

Shortly before Wilbur stepped on my foot. Thankfully she didn't break it.

The food tour with Captain Ron (Bites of Nassau Food Tasting and Cultural Walking Tour) was nothing short of amazing. We made a handful of stops to places like Athena's Cafe (where they serve tasty conch chowder), Bahamian Cookin (where Miss Wallace makes mac and cheese just like my momma #swoon), Biggity (home of some delicious pigeon pea hummus) and Graycliff Hotel (where Jay-Z allegedly proposed to Beyonce). We learned a great deal about the history of the island as well. Captain Ron knows his stuff! I tried conch fritters for the first time and LAWD! Huge props to Miss Wallace. Apparently Christopher isn't the only Wallace I acknowledge now. I am not mad at that. How have I lived this long without this amazing delicacy? If you love seafood and fried food, you'll love conch fritters. The only reference of the conch I had before this trip, I kid you not, is the conch from the Lord of the Flies book. This new conch reference is a million times better and tastier too. Bahamaians make many dishes with conch; conch salad, conch chowder, conch patties, conch chili cheese fries, you name it! The rum cake shop also had a rum tasting station that I surely participated in. When in Nassau right?

We took a day to explore on our own and visited places such as Arawak Cay (Oh Andros), Junkanoo Beach, and walked all throughout downtown to see the Governor's House, the Queen's Staircase and Fort Fincastle, ya know, the touristy stuff. Our hotel had a cute private beach and we were visited by a lone stingray one night. It happened so fast I missed the photo op! Also on this day, I heard the best song of my life. Bless D-Mac for his bop contributions "Diggin in ya Boongie." Ya welcome!

"They dream you in colors that don't exist."

The Queen's Staircase: Canopy Dreams

Fort Fincastle: The Sound of Music Meets Game of Thrones

Dear Bahamas,

I learned so much from your history and culture. Simultaneously, I was able to learn a little bit more about myself and for that, you have a special place in my heart.

xoxo - lipstickcoco

4th Of July: Nassau, Bahamas